servin' it up

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tomorrow is fridaaaaay!  man.  the spring semester Small Groups at Parkway Fellowship started up last week!  i am so happy to have a found a group specifically for expecting moms and moms with young kiddos. what a blessing it has been so far.  serving makes me incredibly happy, so i jumped at the chance and volunteered to bring snacks for our very first meeting.  here's what we munched on:

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yall know real fruit snacks are pretty much always on my menu!  strawberries, nectarines, blueberries, pineapple, and cantaloupe, all fresh and on sale from my Sprouts Farmers Market.

roll up your sleeves and cut your own fruit!  that pre-cut convenience fee is ridiculous.  use those savings and buy more food. lol.

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i skewered some of them just cause.

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next, breakfast quesadillas!  i asked Sonny what i should make and he said breakfast tacos.  sooooooo, i tweaked his suggestion and did quesadillas, naturally. lol.  these got rave reviews from the moms!  the combo of fluffy, whole eggs, savory turkey bacon, fresh spinach, portabella mushrooms, and melty monterey jack cheese... i mean that just makes your mouth water, right?! the tortillas were fresh made from HEB.

20150212_084023_1i used whole eggs and cracked a bunch of them into a large mixing bowl the night before.  i diced half a yellow onion and threw that into the egg batter along with some cracked black pepper and liquid aminos.  the next morning, all i had to do was scramble and cook them all up of course!  i made an assembly line for each ingredient, added a little of each to the tortilla, folded it in half, and toasted it on both side using my griddle.  a little Smart Balance Light Buttery Spread  was put on the outsides of the tortilla before toasting. gave  them a lovely color, crunch, and of course that buttery flavor!

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moving right along to these BOMB mini Banana Pecan Chocolate Muffins! the kiddos enjoyed these too and i'm glad because they are naturally sweetened and a great 'grab & go' option.  they work any time of day- breakfast, snack, or dessert.  you can also use walnuts instead of pecans.

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i forgot to buy some greek yogurt while at the store but i had plenty of unsweetened applesauce at home. so i used that instead and they were still as moist and tasty as ever.

 it's refreshing to meet, connect, and discuss all things motherhood with other moms....or not!  we have already discussed such a wide range of topics and i look forward to more.  we all have our stories but one thing is constant; we are all women wanting to grow in our relationships with Christ and raise our little blessings up His way. 

speaking of motherhood, i wanted to share one of the best motherhood articles i've read in a good while. i completely identified with the author.

"One day….I will sleep peacefully through the night, never a worry of a sick child or a crying baby. It will be but a memory. These years of being needed are exhausting, yet fleeting. I have to stop dreaming of "one day" when things will be easier. Because the truth is, it may get easier, but it will never be better than today. Today, when I am covered in toddler snot and spit-up. Today, when I savor those chubby little arms around my neck. Today is perfect. "One day" I will get pedicures and showers alone. "One day" I will get myself back. But, today I give myself away, and I am tired and dirty and loved SO much, and I gotta go. Somebody needs me."

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 that gave me chills.  especially since that paragraph described the day we were having at the time. LOL. at some point every single day, Chiso gets down on the floor to play with his cars, action figures, do flips, and other things little boys do... so Dego and i got down there with him to play.  seeing the world through their eyes is indeed humbling and Megan's article reminded me yet again to just slow down and soak in as much of these guys as i can.

my answered prayers. my miracles.

can you relate to her excerpt?

would you join or lead a small group yourself?

le

small group host + BE conference time again

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images-3

 bwhahahahahaha!  i cracked UP at that meme and immediately sent it to my brother. he understands my humor like nobody else.  get it?? happy first day of FALL, yall!

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in the studio extra early waiting for my coffee to kick in and ready to teach some HIIT.  i usually wear my Lifetime jacket to feel cool but i needed it this morning. the weather was fantastic at the crack of dawn; the exact opposite of humid and stuffy.

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PhotoGrid_1411481759685

afterwards i did about 10 min of steady state cardio on the arc trainer (cause i got cold again after class) before hitting the weights for some upper body work.  bring on the leggings, yoga pants, and all things pumpkin!  i was sipping on the last of my coffee spiked with International Delight's fat-free Pumpkin Pie Spice creamer on my way home.

later that evening, i had the pleasure of hosting my very first small group.  yep, comfort zone aborted.  joining one, sure, ok. hosting one? me? no way.  i remember signing up for it several weeks back, but only up until a few days ago did i realize the magnitude of what i had done. people really were signing up to come, and they were actually coming.  whoa.  the food responsibilities fall on the host, and well, i was SUPER excited about that part, you already know. i had to sincerely pray about keeping the whole point of the small group and our curriculum as the main focus though, not the food!  don't get me wrong, the food needed to be on point, but ensuring our meeting was well facilitated from beginning to end was just as important.

thank God, it went WELL!  excited to meet again next week.

so, here's what we munched on:

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PhotoGrid_1411497101127

fresh fruit salad with blackberries, strawberries, and nectarines,

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CYMERA_20140924_214655 (2)

i got all the ingredients needed to make my kopy kate Central Market Cranberry Pepita Kale Salad and did just that.

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PhotoGrid_1411514006444

yummers.

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CYMERA_20140924_213643

next, Zucchini Pizza Cruise Ships made with 93% lean ground turkey, smoky chipotle cheese, and turkey pepperoni.

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CYMERA_20140924_214210

voila.

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homemade guac and butternut squash tortilla chips,

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and finally, i cut up and toasted some naan bread to be dipped into the hummus or the guac.

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here's my plate! got a little bit of everything like always.

remember last year's BE conference!? well it's that time AGAIN! the opening ceremony kicks off tomorrow and Ogechi and i are IN THAT THANG!  be sure to keep up with me during BE weekend on Twitter and IG.

peace!

le